The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-08-06
THE MIND CURE"
WHAT A CELEBRATED PHYSICIAN
SAID MANY YEARS AGO.

Prayer Cure-A Priests Mcthods-Cur.
Ing the Choiera-Novel Treatment by
Criticism."
"Physic and Physicians" published in 1880,
speaking Of the celebrated and extraordina-
rily successful DR.. Radcliffe, who died in
TIA and was the founder Of tho Radcliffe
library at Oxford university, says that he
paid particular attention to the mind Of the
patient under his care, and had been heard to
say that he attributed much of his success
and eminence TO this circumstance. There is
a very good anecdote illustrating his views
upon this subject:
"A lady OF rank consulted Radcliffe in
greet distress about her daughter, and the
doctor began the investigation of the case by
asking, Why, what ails herr Alas! DOCTOR
replied the mother, Il cannot tell; but she
has lost her humor, her looks, her stomach;
her strength consumes every day, and we are
I apprehensive that sue cannot live Why do
you not marry herr said Radcliffe Alas!
doctor, that we would fain do, and have
offered her as good match as ever she could
expect Is there no other that YOU think
she would be content TO marryr All, doctor,
that is that troubles us: for there is young
gentleman we doubt she loves, that her father
and i can never consent to- Why, look
you, madam replied Radcliffe gravely,
then the case is this: your daughter would
marry one man, and you would have her
marry another. In all my books | find no
remedy for such disease as this"
REMARKABLE CASES
This principle has also been employed by
certain priests and clergymen OF every sect
A young woman, teacher, was. as she
believed and rs her friends supposed, at the
point OF death. Her ply stefan was not quite
certain that she was as i'll aS she seemed, and
requested the pastor ~ assist him in breaking
up her deluson that she must die He at.
tempted 1t, but she refused to hear him, aud
loaded him with messages for her friends,
and especially for her class in the Sunday
school. As he was about to bid her farewell,
he said that be would return in the afternoon;
she said that she would like him to pray with
her, but that it was useless TO pray for her
recovery. Having in view her hearing what
he had to say, lie prayed in such n way as to
break the spell and make her believe that Sic
would recover; as he did this the morbid
symptoms of approaching death gave way,
and she is still living.
hHolutI CuSt WIS SUN more ItIIlulhaUIt. y
woman, i'll and bedridden, conceived high
regard for the plety and intelligence of her
pastor He entered her room and in loud
and solemn voice said, Il command you to
ariseN lnvoluntarily she arose and resumed
the duties of housekeeping, which after the
lapse of ten years she still performs.
A Roman Catholic priest of high position
in his church told the writer that lie thought
he had saved scores of lives 10y refusing To ad-
minister the Sacrament of Extreme Uncton,
which led the patients to say, Father -
does not think am going TO die"
A CHOLERA CURE.
In 1852, when the cholera ragged in Norfolk,
Va, DIR. Buzzell, n physician of great local
celebrity, lived there He was driving night
and day, and on one occasion was summoned
10 see a stalwart negro who was apparently
in the state Of collapse. Instead of beginning
at once to medicate him he accused him Of
sbamming, denounced and derided him in
every possible way for calling him when lie
was at work night and day, driven almost to
death. Then, putting on the appearance Of
intense excitement, he procured switch and
began to thrash the negro very severely The
more he groaned, and the more he said lie
was dying, the more DR. Buzzel thrashed
him, and with his threatenngs and bcatings
brought on such tremendous reaction that
the man recovered.
In n visit to n branch of the Oneida com.
munity ut W0llingford, in 1856, ! asked Mrs
Miller, the sister Of John H. Noyes, tn,
founder of the community, what they did if
any Of the inmates became i'll, rs they re-
pudiated medicines She said they had very
little sickness But, have not heard of an
epidemic Of diphtheria among youi' She
said there had been, but by their trcatmen
they saved every case. what was that
treatment 1T was treatment by criticism -
How was it appliedf' $50 soon rs u person
was taken i'll, committee was appointed
who went into the room and sat down, pay
ing no attention to the patient; they began
at once TO speak about him or her, critcising
the patients pecularities, bringing every do
feet to the surface, and unsparngly con-
demnng it, Mrs Miller added that no one
could endure this more than an hour. The
mental aud moral irritation was so great that
they began to perspire and invariably re-
covered The universal efficacy of this
method may well he doubted, for many per.
sons live in such an atmosphere that il that
treatment would save them they would never
die; while others are so cailous 10 criticism |
that the remedy would be without elect
NJ Hp,llp,y "a The